User blog:Dragon-Siren 3003/School of Supernatural, Episode 2: Dangerous Waves
(We open on a shot of the Jade Mountain school gymnasium. QIBLI races in. CLAY, a tall African-American man, sits next to OSTRICH, who is barely conscious. His hand is behind her head, supporting her. Her wrist is bent in a strange direction.) QIBLI: Ossie? (He kneels down next to her, running a hand over her hair. He glances at CLAY. His face hardens.) What…? CLAY: She fell into the deep end of the pool and almost drowned. She was lucky Turtle was there. QIBLI: Turtle? (We pan to see TURTLE nearby, with a green and yellow striped towel around himself. He rubs off his glasses, and gives QIBLI a slightly concerned nod.) TURTLE: I was down here with Nem. She decided to come with us. She’s roommates with her-my sister, that is. She invited her to come down here with us-you know, to just check out the territory. I still don’t know how she fell in. (OSTRICH coughs a bit and attempts to prop herself up.) OSTRICH (hoarse, whispery): Is he here? QIBLI: Yes, Ossie. I’m here. OSTRICH: No. He. The one who pushed me. CLAY: … She’s in shock. We need to get her to urgent care. QIBLI: Can I go with her? (CLAY sadly shakes his head.) CLAY: I’m sorry. She needs some rest. (QIBLI nods, defeated. A few hours later, we see him talking to TURTLE, who has since changed into a shirt with Darth Vader on it.) QIBLI: She was lucky all she got was a broken wrist. I should’ve been with her. TURTLE: You might want to rethink that. I mean, just as a general suggestion. QIBLI: I’m her older brother! I’m supposed to protect her, not let her almost die! TURTLE: That’s true. QIBLI (taking a few deep breaths): My point being, you could’ve invited me. TURTLE: I thought you guys hated water. QIBLI: Correct. TURTLE: But Ostrich went with us anyway. QIBLI: That’s Ossie for you. Always willing to put herself in front of others. Being raised an Outclaw does that. But sometimes it leads to you forgetting to take care of yourself. TURTLE: At least you aren’t like my brothers. They’re okay, but most of the time, it’s pure anarchy. QIBLI: (chuckles slightly) Yeah, so was the Scorpion Den. Hope she comes out of shock soon. I wonder what that “he” business was about. TURTLE: … I think I might know. But it’s going to be weird. Really weird. And awkward. QIBLI: I’m roommates with Winter, of all people. I think I can handle it. TURTLE: Okay, here goes… we weren’t the only ones here. There was someone-something else. (As QIBLI opens his mouth to reply, CRYSTAL, MOON, and WINTER burst in. WINTER grabs QIBLI by the shoulders.) WINTER: Answers. Who. What. How. (QIBLI squirms away from him.) QIBLI: Hey, calm down, alright? WINTER: You do realize you’re attempting to order a prince around. QIBLI: Hey, you’d be doing the same to me. CRYSTAL: Wait, you’re a prince? QIBLI: Well, not officially. But Thorn kind of adopted me, so I guess I qualify? CRYSTAL: The point is, we need to know what happened. Immediately. TURTLE: I was about to explain, but then this happened, so I can’t tell you what happened to be what happened. (CRYSTAL is mildly stunned. For a few seconds, anyway.) CRYSTAL: Well, get on with it, then! TURTLE (sighs): So, Nem, Ostrich, and I were heading down here. I got this weird chill down my spine, but I didn’t think it was anything. We got here. I jumped in, Nem jumped in. We kind of got distracted. Water does that to me, you know? Anyway, Ostrich was goofing around on the diving board, pretending she was at the Olympics. And then… (A flashback ensues. We see OSTRICH from the back, parading around the diving board. ANEMONE and TURTLE are in the pool, splashing each other. OSTRICH begins acting like a sports announcer.) OSTRICH: And we see Anemone, coming around the bend. Turtle’s waiting for her, and- Whoa! Nice shot, Anemone! Turtle had better watch out for this pint-sized powerhouse! But-oh! Turtle’s making a comeback! (OSTRICH continues on in this way. She seems to be enjoying herself, and gets so caught up in her make-believe that she doesn’t realize what her instincts are telling her… or what’s surrounding her. TURTLE glances up just in time to hear her scream. ANEMONE scrambles out of the water. TURTLE frantically paddles over to OSTRICH, submerging himself. He turns, and comes face to face with… something. It resembles the unholy lovechild of a coelacanth and a certain faceless horror character, with the smile of a Cheshire Cat, which it shows off as it grins at TURTLE. TURTLE exhales sharply, blowing bubbles everywhere. Then he sees OSTRICH, pinned beneath the creature’s clawlike hand. She’s struggling weakly, and doesn’t have much time. TURTLE attempts to punch the creature. It growls, and flickers away. His hand catches on OSTRICH’s shirt. He pulls her to the surface. The scene changes back to the present. WINTER interrupts.) WINTER: Yes, that was a lovely little fantasy, but obviously untrue. It isn’t wise to tell such falsehoods. In my kingdom… (MOON interrupts him, much to everyone’s surprise, except for CRYSTAL, that is.) MOON: I would’ve said the same thing yesterday, but I’ve had a fiasco with roommates that convinced me otherwise. QIBLI: Not to mention the creepy feeling I got when I was alone in the hallway. Like there’s eyes on the walls. TURTLE (nodding): It always feels like something’s following you. QIBLI: Once I read a book about a place that all these ghosts starting haunting, sort of like a designated supernatural drop-off. I’m seriously starting to think there might be some truth to it. WINTER: Again, complete rubbish. Everyone knows those are just fairy tales meant to scare- CRYSTAL: And yet all evidence points otherwise. Particularly when it comes to Moon’s “roommate fiasco,” as she calls it. TURTLE: Wait, I’m confused. What’s the roommate fiasco? CRYSTAL (decisively): Grab the rest of our dorm. Meet us in Room 31113 in five minutes. We’ll explain there. (The rest run off. MOON glances at CRYSTAL.) MOON: Why my room? CRYSTAL: Carnelian’s already in there. Haven’t you read any ghost stories? They always say that unless it’s an old battleground or the site of a massacre, only one ghost could haunt an area at the same time. MOON: The ones I’ve read always said they were seeking vengeance for something, or it was a punishment. CRYSTAL: Maybe it’s just a Sky thing. The point is, we’re better off taking chances with Carnelian than with this forsaken thing. And it’s high time they knew. MOON: We- I only found out this morning! CRYSTAL: Well, we better get used to it. Come on. (We cut to the Jade Dorm, minus OSTRICH, all assembled in Room 31113. CARNELIAN is nowhere to be seen. WINTER scoffs.) WINTER: Well, get on with it! We don’t have all day. ICICLE: Agreed. If this roommate nonsense is just a big joke, I swear… CARNELIAN (offscreen): Talking like that won’t get you anywhere. (Everybody-save for CRYSTAL and MOON, who look like they were expecting this, and KINKAJOU, who looks confused-completely flips. WINTER says some phrases that cannot be printed. ICICLE grabs MOON by the collar.) ICICLE (menacingly): This had better be a joke, Night spawn. (CARNELIAN shimmers into view. ICICLE lets go of MOON.) CARNELIAN: Personally, I’m sorry it isn’t. (Everyone loses it-again. CRYSTAL stands on one of the beds and claps her hands loudly. Everyone shuts up.) CRYSTAL: Thank you. This is Carnelian Jadira, my thrice-cursed however-many-times great aunt. Carnelian, my dorm. (QIBLI waves, a dry look on his face. The others just look stunned.) CARNELIAN: Hmm, let’s see. (points at QIBLI) You have a sense of humor. I like you. (points at Sora) You remind me of someone. (points to WINTER and ICICLE) Same with you two. And of course, (points to KINKAJOU) there’s Squeakers over there. (Nobody speaks for a minute.) TURTLE: Well, here’s proof. The school is haunted. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to book a plane back home. WHITEOUT: There will be no flying books of any sort! We have an artillery closet, and we will use it! (WHITEOUT strikes a pose too amazing for words to describe on a small table. The rest look on. KINKAJOU breaks the silence.) KINKAJOU: Wait-we have a ghost roommate? Like, can turn invisible and walk through walls? CARNELIAN: I can’t walk through walls. I’ve been trying for the last few decades. KINKAJOU: Still! Wait ‘til I tell Tamarin and Glory about this! They sent me here to learn how to read, but I’ll show them. I mean, I’m sure reading is awesome and all, but this is better than books! CARNELIAN: No. You will not tell (makes a throat-slicing gesture) anyone about me. MOON: From what I can see-I mean, what I can guess, it will lead to us in therapy or her exorcised. TURTLE: Shouldn’t we try to get her out of here? I mean, if she hasn’t moved on, we should get some help. CARNELIAN: Sure, say that in front of me. Trust me, I know why I’m still here. And it ain’t pretty. Mr. Sands- QIBLI: It’s Qibli. CARNELIAN: Fine, Qibli. Your guess would be right. It’s what I call a plateshift. Yes, I may have read a few of the science textbooks. QIBLI: So, you mean… there’s a spiritual undercurrent here, and something’s happened to release it? CARNELIAN: Bingo, Sherlock. MOON: What made it happen? If we can solve it… CRYSTAL: I’m with Moon. If we cut the head off, it’ll go away. ANEMONE: Ew. Since when was decapitation involved? Are we harkening back to the Revolution? WHITEOUT: Yes! VIVE LA REVOLUTION! CARNELIAN: It’s not that simple. They’ve been escaping for years. It’s gonna be rough. WINTER: Wait-we’ve been haunted for years? CARNELIAN: Well, maybe not you personally, but yes. Your legends of spirits and monsters-they’re true. Nessie, yeti, demons- they’re all real. QIBLI: … Okay. So the tentacled thing in my closet was real all along. Got it. CARNELIAN: That was probably a bogey. They can’t actually cause any harm. The point is, imaginary or dead things aren’t staying dead or imaginary. The one you just ran into proves that. ICICLE: Oh, so now we’re in a zombie apocalypse. CARNELIAN: Well, not zombies. Just dead people who came back. Not reincarnation, though… I realize that wasn’t extremely comforting. (WINTER glares at CARNELIAN.) WINTER: The circumstances don’t matter. We need to know how to fight this thing. We obliterate it, then go back to life as we know it. CRYSTAL: Have you ever actually been in battle? You don’t just run at the opposition and pummel it. You have to plan it out… QIBLI: See if there’s a larger threat behind it. (CRYSTAL flashes a rare smile at QIBLI.) CRYSTAL: Exactly. We need to make a plan and stick to it. We need to add a sort of patrol. MOON: But who’s going to keep it up? I mean, we have class. QIBLI: Maybe we don’t patrol constantly. We’ll just report-say, send a text if we see something. CRYSTAL: Yes. That’s more efficient. KINKAJOU: Sunny told me that we have the rest of today off because of the accident. So, we have more time to fight the creepy thing! CRYSTAL: Which brings me to another thing: Strategy. We need to appoint ranks, if we want to get anywhere. Who here is good at memorizing information? (MOON, QIBLI, and SORA raise their hands.) CRYSTAL: Okay-Moon, (glances at name list) Sora, I need you to collect information. Anything useful you can find. Qibli, you were a member of Thorn’s gang? (QIBLI nods, slightly offended at the word “gang.”) CRYSTAL: I need you for help with plotting our next move. Carnelian, you too. Whiteout, you seem… perceptive. You stay here. The rest of you, patrol. Icicle and Winter have battle training, so they can be defensive. Now go. QIBLI: You’re very calm about all of this. CRYSTAL: If we’re waging war… QIBLI: We need to keep a cool head. Thorn says something similar. CRYSTAL: She sounds like someone I’d have a respect for. QIBLI: You better think that, or else I may have to have a word with you. CRYSTAL (unamused): Really. I’m very scared. QIBLI: Hey! I’m her most fearsome guard! (He puffs out his chest. CRYSTAL raises an eyebrow.) CRYSTAL: Intimidating. Now, let’s get down to business. WHITEOUT: TO DEFEAT THE HUNS! CARNELIAN: We aren’t in Mongolia, Crazytown. CRYSTAL: Insubordinate, both of you. Now, we should get the patrols to inspect the gym and locker rooms. It’s a mixed-gender party, so they should be able to sweep both. QIBLI: What happens if they meet up with the whatever-it-is? CARNELIAN: Judging by its behavior, I would think it’s a kappa. One of the Mongolian ones. Japanese ones look more like monkeys. QIBLI: So should we ask them to pick up Mongolian or Japanese legends? CRYSTAL: Both. The more we know, the better. Just… get them to pick up every book they can find on anything that might show up. (We cut to SORA and MOON stumbling in with an extremely thick book.) CARNELIAN: We’re going to read all of this? CRYSTAL: Yes. We’ll use it as a reference. WHITEOUT: Indeed. The sacred tome will take us higher. QIBLI: Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s open that thing and get reading! (Scene changes to TURTLE and WINTER mucking about the boy’s locker room.) WINTER: Ugh. I can’t believe we’ll have to actually use these things. A prince should not be treated like this! TURTLE: I hate to say it, but I agree with you. So much sand on the floor… probably from volleyball. Let’s see, we checked the pool again- (We cut to a slight flashback of TURTLE leaping in the pool. He sticks a thumbs-up out of the water.) TURTLE: The gym, the gym closet, the locker rooms. Wait. (freezes) We didn’t check the gym showers. WINTER: What would want to live in there? My b-someone once told me that nobody ever uses them. TURTLE: If nobody ever uses them, wouldn’t that be a great place to hide? (WINTER snaps his head toward TURTLE. He nods. The boys make their way to the showers. WINTER puts himself in front of TURTLE, pulling back the curtain with a nervous hand. A familiar, chilling grin greets him. It’s the kappa. We cut to CRYSTAL and her group reading.) MOON: Let’s see. It says the kappa is a monkey or fish-like water spirit that attempts to drown anything that comes near where it swims. CARNELIAN: Sounds about right. CRYSTAL: Read the fine print. Any ways to deter it? QIBLI (takes book): It says that if you throw a cucumber to it, it will be forever in your debt. CRYSTAL: We don’t have access to cucumber. Any other options? WHITEOUT: Royals. Rain will come, and it will shrivel. (MOON begins nodding.) MOON: I think I understand. It says here the kappa has a hollow in the top of its head, where it carries water. It can’t live without it. If it bows… QIBLI (excitedly): It’ll lose its life source! CARNELIAN: Finally. You guys are catching on. And, since in Japan, bowing is a sign of respect. If they bow, it will feel that it needs to return the favor. CRYSTAL: When they get back, we’ll transfer the information. We’ll have it gone in no time, before anyone else gets hurt. (WHITEOUT looks distressed.) WHITEOUT: No. Now. CRYSTAL: That’s just not sensible. Noise might alert the threat- WHITEOUT: Now. CRYSTAL: I’m trying to- WHITEOUT: NOW! CRYSTAL (trying to rein in her temper): Whiteout, I’m trying my best to keep everyone safe. If we’re going to make it through, you’ll need to listen. We will tell them when they get back. MOON: Maybe it’s you who needs to listen. CRYSTAL: What? MOON: When she gets like this, it usually means something’s happened. She was like this when her mother left, when her father was killed, when her brother died- (WHITEOUT begins making a keening noise.) CRYSTAL (looking mildly stunned): Here. (She tosses a phone to MOON.) CRYSTAL: Quickly! (MOON frantically dials. We cut to TURTLE answering. WINTER and TURTLE have crowded into one of the larger lockers. The kappa waits outside.) TURTLE: Crystal? MOON: No. I’m just using her phone. Where is it? TURTLE: … Right outside. MOON: Oh, goodness. It’s attacking them! They’re going to- (We hear a scuffling noise over the phone.) CRYSTAL: Hand it- Okay, here we go. I apologize for the panicking inconvenience. How close are you to it? (TURTLE glances out of the locker’s small window. He’s nearly face-to-face with it.) TURTLE: … Too close for comfort. CRYSTAL: Check. Where are the girls? TURTLE: Back in their dorm. Kinkajou was being too hyper, and Nem was whining. Icicle went with them, just in case it followed them. CRYSTAL: So it’s just you and Winter. (WINTER, who is being mushed into a corner, grits his teeth.) WINTER: It would seem that way. CRYSTAL: Okay, here’s the deal: Bow to it. WINTER: I’m not bowing to that thing. CRYSTAL: Unless you have a cucumber or a death wish, I would suggest bowing. WINTER: I don’t take orders from Sky Tribals. CRYSTAL: Fine. Turtle, are you willing to bow? TURTLE: Do I have a choice? CRYSTAL: Go ahead and do it. TURTLE: I would if I could get out of the locker. CRYSTAL (irritated): … Locker? TURTLE: We’re kind of hiding right now. CRYSTAL: Get out there like a true soldier! TURTLE: I’m not a soldier. I’m just a prince! CRYSTAL: A prince has power! TURTLE: Not really! In my kingdom, we’re just leftovers from trying to have a princess! CRYSTAL: Ugh. I cannot believe you Sea and Ice people. You’re not in your kingdom! Find what little sense you have, and use it! (Before TURTLE can respond, a sound of metal tearing fills the air. The kappa tears off the door.) CRYSTAL: Well, far as I know, you’re on the ground now! Do it! (TURTLE stumbles to his feet. Shaking, he folds his hands together and bows. We cut briefly to CRYSTAL’s team. WHITEOUT is in a corner, rocking back and forth, with MOON attempting to comfort her. QIBLI is looking to the heavens with his fingers crossed. CRYSTAL is drumming her fingers anxiously. Even CARNELIAN looks nervous. We cut back to TURTLE and the kappa, which tilts its faceless head, and bows also. Immediately, the water splashes onto the ground. The kappa lets out a shriek, and begins to shrivel up. It’s horrifying. When all is said and done, TURTLE stands for a moment, catching his breath. WINTER looks stunned. He never expected anything like this to happen.) CRYSTAL: That seems like a good sign. TURTLE: It’s gone. It’s over. CARNELIAN: For now, at least. CRYSTAL (whispering): Well done, soldier. Now, get back to the dorm. (We cut to CRYSTAL’s team. As soon as TURTLE hangs up, cheering breaks out.) CRYSTAL: Well, not bad for a newbie, anyway. (mutters) Can’t praise him too highly. (We cut to the next day. OSTRICH has come back, with a cast on her wrist. She runs over to QIBLI and throws her arms around him.) OSTRICH: Is he still here? QIBLI (shaking his head): Nope. We beat him off. But it’s not over yet. OSTRICH: What do you mean? QIBLI: A friend told me so. OSTRICH: But who? QIBLI (half-smiling): Let’s just say we’ve got a lot to talk about. QIBLI (V.O.): And that was how we saved the entire school. Or, at least, how we saved anyone going to P.E. It was a start. (We cut to MOON, walking down the hallway. She has a white towel wrapped around herself. Her hair is wet, and hangs like a shroud down her back.) QIBLI (V.O.): But as soon as we thought we could breathe easy, more clouds appeared on the horizon. It turns out, what Carnelian said about dead things not staying dead wasn’t just referring to ghosts or monsters. (A tall, pale young man with dark hair taps MOON on the shoulder.) STRANGER: Excuse me. I’m looking for the Jade Dorm. (MOON freezes. She knows that voice, from not very long ago. The last thing she remembers him saying was, “I’ll be back soon.” But it was another lie. She turns and looks into the young man’s eyes. In the corners are large freckles, in the same shape as MOON’s birthmarks. She reaches out a tentative hand.) MOON: But…no… you’re gone… (The young man smiles at her. MOON begins shaking her head. It can’t possibly be-) MOON: … Darkstalker? Category:Blog posts